SIR awakens Bihar

Bihar is stirring. What was expected to be a routine state election has morphed into a test case for India’s democracy itself. The state that once exported migrants, despair and jokes about “jungle raj,” is now exporting political energy. The contest is no longer about development promises or caste equations alone. It is about the sanctity of the vote and the credibility of the democratic process.
The spark came from an unusual source: the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls months before the polls. Out of roughly 8 crore registered voters in Bihar, an astonishing 65 lakh names were deleted in the revision. The anomalies read like tragicomedy: 56 voters listed with the same father’s name, women described as “wife of husband husband,” and even mothers with the name “Election Commission.” There are galore of deletions of women, and people in their 40s marked dead in many booths.
For ordinary Biharis, it was a wake-up call. The vote—often treated casually, sometimes sold for a sari or a bottle of liquor—suddenly became precious. The fear that it could be stolen without their knowledge cut deeper than unemployment or corruption. And it provided fertile ground for the Opposition’s gamble.
The Opposition Strikes Back!
Enter Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav, armed with their “Voter Adhikar Yatra” (Voter Rights March). Starting from historic Sasaram, known for historic Shershah Suri or Congress leader Jagjivan Ram, the march has covered 1,300 km, 25 districts and over 110 assembly constituencies. The crowds have been thick, curious, restless! and spontaneous. People flocked for more than speeches. Is it because they sensed their rights were under assault?
What makes the march remarkable is not merely the turnout but the reaction it has provoked. The ruling BJP–JD(U) alliance has thrown more energy into mocking and attacking the march than into highlighting its own governance record. Every barb, every sarcastic remark from the government side has only amplified the Opposition’s message.
Rahul Gandhi appears confident, walking shoulder to shoulder with Tejashwi Yadav. Their partnership has seemingly injected fresh energy into the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) of Congress, RJD, and Left parties. The symbolism is hard to miss: a dynast mocked as “inexperienced” and a young leader once derided as “immature” Pappu are turning electoral vulnerability into political capital.
A Gathering of Allies
This is not just a local drama. The rally in Patna on the last day is attended by heavyweights like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi leader Akhilesh Yadav, JMM’s chief minister Hemant Soren, and Tamil Nadu’s M.K. Stalin. Their presence signals something larger—that the Opposition sees Bihar as the stage where the national script of 2029 may be written. Should Bihar shake the BJP–JD(U) fortress, the aftershocks could be felt far beyond the Ganga plains. Though it’s an assumption, bit too premature.
Ruling Side’s Uneasy Ground
For Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the moment is awkward. Once celebrated as “Sushasan Babu” (Mr. Good Governance), he now looks weary, his JD(U) shrinking in influence. The BJP, for its part, remains formidable with a strong cadre at every booth and resources unmatched by the Opposition. But the party is wary of the shifting mood. Empty chairs at its rallies contrast sharply with overflowing gatherings of the yatra. So is its leaders’ assertion that they are concentrating now also on the seats where the BJP contestants were runners up in the 2020 assembly election.
Spoilers and Sideliners
Of course, Bihar’s politics is never bipolar. Chirag Paswan, inheritor of his father’s political legacy, Lok Janshakti Party, has announced to contest all assembly seats, projecting himself as kingmaker. Prashant Kishor, the election strategist-turned-politician, claims he will form the next government. Kishor has called upon migrants not to return to their place of work outside Bihar. He assures them jobs in the home state. For now, both look more like vote-splitters, vote katwa, than power-wielders. Yet in Bihar’s fractured politics, spoilers can tilt outcomes.
Why This Election Matters
Bihar has seen many battles, but this one feels different. The stakes go beyond who forms the next government. It is about whether democracy’s nuts and bolts—like voter rolls—can be trusted. In a state long dismissed as politically volatile but economically irrelevant, could a section of the electorate turn the tables?
The US 50 percent tariff on Indian exports, China’s relentless trade dominance, or even national debates on unemployment pale in comparison to what Bihar is now asking: will my vote be counted?
The Unfinished Question
Will the yatra and its momentum translate into votes? Not necessarily. The BJP’s organisation remains unmatched.
Its welfare schemes—from free rations to housing benefits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rs 5000 crore Bihar package, and Rs 1 lakh crore highways—still have resonance. Nitish Kumar may look diminished, but he has survived storms before.
Yet, the psychological shift is undeniable. For the first time in years, the Opposition is not merely reacting but setting the agenda. The Election Commission’s credibility has been dragged into the public square. Bihar’s voters—dismissed for decades as captive to caste and cash—are debating the accuracy of voter lists and the meaning of franchise.
That alone marks a tectonic shift.
The Bottom Line
Two months remain before the ballots are cast. Spoilers may emerge, alliances may fray, and the BJP may well consolidate its machinery to retain power. But Bihar seems to be awakening, questioning and restless.
The coming election may not just decide who rules Patna. It may well decide whether Indian democracy still has the resilience to correct itself when voters, armed with little more than their franchise, rise in anger and demand: count us, or count us out. Or is the surmise a mere myth?